Chinese film star Fan Bingbing makes rare appearance at the Oscars
Fan was ordered to pay US$130 million in taxes and penalties by the Chinese government in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public view
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie hit Anything Everywhere All at Once has 11 nominations, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan
Published: 6:40am, 13 Mar, 2023
China’s Fan Bingbing arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: AP
Disgraced Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who appeared in X-Men films before disappearing amid a tax case in China, is at the Oscars.
Fan was becoming a crossover star with roles lined up in a Bruce Willis film and appeared in a pair of films based on Marvel Comics characters before she was ordered to pay US$130 million in taxes and penalties by the Chinese government in 2018.
Before the fine was levied, Fan went dark on social media, her management offices closed and she largely disappeared from public view.
Fan has had a few recent credits, including the spy thriller The 355, which was released in 2022.
She has re-emerged this year, appearing at the Berlin Film Festival last month with a new film, Green Night.
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March last year, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo: AP
Last year’s Oscars ceremony was arguably eclipsed by Will Smith, who strode on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face over a comment Rock had made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in his speech.
Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo emcee in five years, is hosting for the third time. The late-night comedian has promised to make some jokes about The Slap; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said.
Bill Kramer, chief executive of the film academy, has said that it was important, given what happened last year, to have “a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments.”
“Nobody got hit when I hosted the show,” Kimmel boasted, tongue in cheek, on Good Morning America on Thursday. “Everybody was well-behaved at my Oscars.”
Kimmel will preside over a ceremony that could see big wins for the best-picture favourite, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s action-comedy indie hit comes in with a leading 11 nominations, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
Producers are giving some aspects of the Oscars a makeover. The carpet is champagne-coloured, not red. The broadcast has been planned to be more interactive than ever.
There were surprises before the show even got started. Just days after producers had said Lady Gaga would not be performing her nominated song Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, a person close to the production with knowledge of the performance confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the pop superstar would perform, after all.
And presenter Glenn Close told Associated Press that she would no longer present at the show because she had tested positive for Covid-19.
But the academy, still trying to find its footing after several years of pandemic and ratings struggles, is also hoping for a smoother ride than last year. A crisis management team has been created to help better respond to surprises. The academy has called its response to Smith’s actions last year “inadequate.”
Harry Shum Jnr, whose mother is from Hong Kong and whose father is from Guangzhou, arrives at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Shum Jnr plays Chad in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Photo: Invision / AP
Neither Rock, who recently made his most forceful statement about the incident in a live special, nor Smith, who’s been banned by the academy for 10 years, are expected to attend.
The Academy Awards will instead attempt to recapture some of its old lustre. One thing working in its favour: This year’s best picture field is stacked with blockbusters. Ratings usually go up when the nominees are more popular, which certainly goes for Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and, to a lesser extent, Elvis and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
But the late-breaking contender that may fare well in the technical categories – where bigger films often reign – is Netflix’s top nominee this year: the German WWI epic All Quiet on the Western Front. It is up for nine awards, tied for second most with the Irish dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin. Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio also looks like a shoo-in for best animated film.
The awards will also have some star wattage in the musical performances. Fresh off her Super Bowl performance, Rihanna will perform her Oscar-nominated song, Lift Me Up, from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This Is Life, from Everything Everywhere All at Once will be sung by David Byrne and supporting actress nominee Stephanie Hsu with the band Son Lux. Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will perform Naatu Naatu from the Indian action epic RRR. Lenny Kravitz will perform during the In Memoriam tribute.
Last year, Apple TV’s CODA became the first streaming film to win best picture. But this year, nine of the 10 best picture nominees were theatrical releases. After the film business cratered during the pandemic, moviegoing recovered to about 67 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. But it was an up and down year, full of smash hits and anxiety-inducing lulls in cinemas.
At the same time, the rush to streaming encountered new setbacks as studios questioned long-term profitability and re-examined their release strategies. This year, ticket sales have been strong thanks to releases such as Creed III and Cocaine Bear. But there remain storm clouds on the horizon.
Chinese-American veteran actor James Hong, part of the Everything Anywhere All at Once cast, with April Hong at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: Invision / AP
The Writers Guild and the major studios are set to begin contract negotiations March 20, a looming battle that has much of the industry girding for the possibility of a work stoppage throughout film and television.
The Oscars, meanwhile, are trying to reestablish their position as the premier award show. Last year’s telecast drew 16.6 million viewers, a 58 per cent increase from the scaled-down 2021 edition, watched by a record low 10.5 million.
Usually, the previous year’s acting winners present the awards for best actor and best actress. But that will not be the case this time. Who will replace Smith in presenting best actress is just one of the questions heading into the ceremony.
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